Spacehamster’s Blog

Well, if you lived in the United States it’s either been a defining moment in history or the most upsetting election loss ever. What’s great about the internet is it gives the ability to communicate with other people that live in other countries. And it definitely came in handy yesterday - it was really incredible sharing the excitement, optimism and hope with US residents as they voted in their first African-American president.

What’s been interesting for me is observing how reaction to Obama in my part of the world is divided along generational lines. Those in the below 50 age bracket have a very positive response to his election victory. Those in the above 50 age-bracket really couldn’t care less (ie. the “Meh” reaction). I think that reaction stems partly from cynicism and disillusionment about the political process in both the US and Australia, and also from a lack of understanding of how international events can affect local economies and businesses. They’ve seen it all before (re: Gough Whitlam) and they’ve been burned before (re: The Dismissal).

I think it’s so different for me, because I’m regularly interacting with people who actually live in the country where this election is taking place. And I think I’m aware of how Australia will be affected by the policies of whoever takes over the White House next year.

It’s been an amazing 12 months: First John Howard is removed from power in (what I consider) the most surprising election victory in my lifetime. And then an even more amazing and impossible election victory occurs in the US. After 8 years of Neo-Conservative rule in both here and the US, I’d stopped believing in Governments or people. After this, I might just start trusting in people again.

In regards to the “Global” financial crisis, I think this article sums up my feelings perfectly.

There has been a good deal of talk in recent weeks about imminent economic armageddon. In fact, this is far from being the end of capitalism. The frantic scrambling in Washington marks the passing of only one type of capitalism - the peculiar and highly unstable variety that has existed in America over the past 20 years. This experiment in financial laissez-faire has imploded. While the impact of the collapse will be felt everywhere, the market economies that resisted American-style deregulation will best weather the storm.

I’ve always been a believer in Market regulation, and these events prove that support may have been justified. Hopefully, lessons will be learnt from these events. But somehow, considering the nature of those involved, I doubt it.

This is a photo of the Phoenix probe about to land on Mars. Alright, to the uninitiated it might look like a small speck. But consider - we’re landing a man-made technologically advanced vehicle on the surface of another planet.

Coolness.

I first read about the Yangtzee River dolphin in Douglas Adams novel ‘Last Chance to See’. So it was with some sadness that I read this -

THE Yangtze River dolphin, until recently one of the most endangered species on the planet, has been declared officially extinct following an intensive survey of its natural habitat.

The freshwater marine mammal, which could grow to 2½ metres long and weigh up to a quarter of a tonne, is the first large vertebrate forced to extinction by human activity in 50 years. This is only the fourth time an entire evolutionary line of mammals has vanished from the Earth since the year 1500.

Conservationists yesterday described the extinction as a shocking tragedy, caused not by active persecution but inadvertently and carelessly through a combination of factors including unsustainable fishing and mass shipping.

I’m well aware that most people might say - “Well so what? It’s just a dumb, stupid worthless animal. Aren’t there more important things to talk about - like the War in Iraq or the economy?”. Since Douglas Adams is no longer with us, I’d remind them that the world can be a truly extraordinary and wonderful place. The extinction of the Yangtzee River dolphin makes the world just that bit less wonderous.

This is certainly one of the more off-putting news articles
that I’ve read in quite some time. I know from my own experiences that
Asians can be quite lazy regarding matters of hygeine. Some of my Asian
friends and relatives will refuse to fully flush the toilet because they
says its a waste of water. I’ll leave the rather disgusting results to your
own imagination.

So it comes as no surprise to find that mainland Chinese tourists visiting
Hong Kong Disneyland are making rather a mess whenever they visit. I’ve
also noticed the same behaviour in Asians when I was living in Melbourne.
Being brought up by my parents and believing that good manners were
important, this kind of behaviour used to infuriate me. I couldn’t
understand why they couldn’t just patiently wait in line. Whoever
promulgated the stereotype that Asians were polite had seriously better
think again.

I noticed that opinion polls indicate an even split between those who support and oppose Nguyen’s execution. I remember several years ago, when Hansonism was at the height of its popularity, a phone poll was performed by A Current Affair. The question was “Would you prefer less Asian Immigration?”. The result was 85% Yes and 15% No. I took that rather personally and thought that families like ours weren’t very welcome in Australia. That sentiment, no matter how unfounded, has been with me ever since.

At that time, my father had some words of advice that I’ll never forget -

“Just because a majority of people agree doesn’t make them right”.

If you were to believe the polls, 85% of Australians hate Asians and don’t want them here. But if you look at what’s happening on the ground the truth is very different. I think people are starting to learn that cultural differences are more important than skin colour.

I hated Hansonism, and I hated having to endure the wave of racial prejudice that swept over the country in its wake. But I think that the Australian community has learned a lot from this experience - let’s hope we can pass those lessons on.

I take no great joy in Thong Nguyen’s hanging today - this is a sad time for both his family and his friends, and my sympathy goes out to them. At such a delicate time, it’s probably innapropriate to point out that Nguyen, regrettably, bought this fate upon himself by choosing to pass through Singapore on the way to delivering drugs elsewhere.

I’ve always been of the belief that as responsible adults we make our own choices, and we should be aware of the affects on our loved ones of the choices we make. I have no sympathy for Nguyen or for his brother - both are reaping the consequences of a criminally stupid and reckless decision. I do, however, have a great deal of sympathy for his mother and his loved ones. And I wish that Nguyen had thought things through more carefully before making such a reckless and criminal decision - I can think of at least three other ways of generating $20,000 within a few short years, that doesn’t require you to break the law.

What has disturbed me, however, is the sadistic pleasure that certain people seem to be taking in Nguyen’s upcoming execution - especially in The Age’s Your Say website. Although I believe that Nguyen is reaping the consequences of his criminal actions, I take no great pleasure in hearing about his execution. What’s that saying again? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone? I’ve always tried to be tolerant of other people’s opinions, but the sense I get from the majority of commentators is that they will gain a great deal of sadistic self-righteous moral pleasure from Nguyen’s execution -

His a drug trafficer, why is everyone supporting a DRUG
TRAFFICKER? He knew what he was getting himself into if he was caught. No
sympathy here!

I stopped reading the Your Say website a while back, as the level of uneducated narrow-minded bile in regards to certain issues - especially immigration - absolutely appalled me. I regard the general tone of the comments in ‘Your Say’ as a symptom of a much wider malaise.

One of the reasons why I moved back to Tasmania (apart from the fact that my job was offshored) was because I felt incredibly isolated in Melbourne. I found it incredibly difficult to make new friends there. It seemed to me that people had a lack of empathy, even a sense of disconnection, with the world around them. From that experience, I’ve learned that if people have less of a sense of belonging within their community, they’ll have less compassion and generosity towards others.

In Tasmania, that sense of community and generosity of spirit is still there - I can feel it everytime I walk into work in the morning. I think it’s one thing that the big city slickers can learn from us smalltown country bumpkins - that it’s okay to care about your fellow human beings, and to give them a helping hand whenever they’re in trouble. Of course, in big cities like Melbourne and Sydney, this is regarded as a sign of vulnerability and weakness.

That being the case, I’d much rather live in Tasmania. I may not make as much money, but at least my intrinsic humanity and sense of compassion towards others who deserve it is still intact.

I read this article on Neoconservative double-speak. As far as I’m concerned, it’s really a guide to the deceptive double-speak used by all politicians on both sides of the divide. I think it makes for hilarious
reading.

And here’s another article on unwanted spyware installed by Software companies. In this case, it’s MediaMax.

MediaMax phones home whenever you play a protected CD, automatically installs over 12 MB of software before even displaying an End User License Agreement, and fails to include an uninstaller. It’s just another example of how conventional companies are failing to cope
with new technologies. Another example is Publishing companies suing Google for copyright violations, even though Google Books doesn’t reproduce entire books on its website - just enough to whet a readers appetite. It’ll be interesting to see how this whole conflict plays out over the next few years.

The president of the Singapore Criminal Lawyers Association has raised a valid point - why did everyone wait so long to appeal Nguyen’s sentence. I first heard of Nguyen’s case almost two years ago, and was mystified as to why there were no protests from anyone in a position of responsibility (apart from his family) regarding his plight. Where were the Human Rights Organisations? The Lawyers? The Media Commentators? As has been pointed out -

Mr Anandan, president of the Singapore Criminal Lawyers Association, said the only chance of saving Van would have been before he went to trial, when prosecutors were finalising the charges and still had the prerogative to make changes.

“What is the point in coming in now?” he said. “The President has already refused clemency and the presiding judge in capital drug cases has no discretion. Death is mandatory. It is like visiting a patient in hospital when they are already dead.”

Mr Anandan’s German client, Ms Bohl, 23, was charged in March 2002 with drug trafficking after police seized 687g of marijuana and other drugs from her Singapore apartment.

Under the city-state’s sentencing laws, death is mandatory for anyone caught with 500g or more of the drug. Mr Anandan said the German ambassador and government immediately mounted a diplomatic campaign on behalf of the young woman, meeting several senior Singaporean ministers. Within months, several charges were dropped and she escaped the gallows after the “pure” amount of drugs was found to be 281g.

It’s far too little, far too late. And now Nguyen’s family will be the ones to suffer for it.